Eli Young Band, Graham Barham are this year’s headliners

Happy New Year! We’re glad we all made it to 2025, which will be another fun, event-filled year for Deadwood and the Black Hills.

Our community’s first big event of the new year (other than the New Year’s Eve bash, of course) is the 10th annual Red Dirt Festival on Jan. 10 and 11, 2025, at the Deadwood Mountain Grand. This year’s headliners are the Eli Young Band on Jan. 10, and Graham Barham on Jan. 11. The venue promises it will be “two of soul-stirring, boot-stomping country and Southern country-rock performances.” 

Eli Young Band blends rock and country, resulting in hits like “Crazy Girl” and “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.” They’ll be joined in Deadwood by Silverada and Kylie Frey.

Saturday’s headliner is singer/songer Graham Barham, known for his viral song “Preachers Need People.” He’ll be joined by Them Dirty Roses and local favorite Brandon Jones.

Tickets are available at the Deadwood Mountain Grand Box Office or online. 

Why not stay for both nights? First Gold is just down the road and has free on-site parking, the outstanding Horseshoe Restaurant, and a variety of gaming to keep you entertained all weekend long. 

Give us a call at 800-274-1876 or visit our website to book your room today. 

Other Deadwood events this month: 

Learn How to Snowshoe

Stomp through the snow and join Deadwood History Inc. Education Director Tera Richards for a fun morning as she teaches the art of snowshoeing at the Days of ‘76 Museum from 10 a.m. to noon on Jan. 4, 2025.

This event is for students in grades K-6. It includes snowshoes and hot chocolate for participants. It is free, but reservations are required. Call Richards at 605-578-1657 to make a reservation.

Gold Rush Burger Battle

The Gold Rush Burger Battle is a collaborative competition hosted by the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau and the Lead Area Chamber of Commerce. It will start on Jan. 15, 2025, and feature one business per week for 18 weeks. 

The battle is between all participating businesses, and customers can rank each burger they try over the weeks. The voting window for each business will be 10 days, starting on the Wednesday of their scheduled week until the next Friday. The winner will be announced when the final week of voting ends on May 23.

New this year, customers can get a punch card from the Deadwood Welcome Center or participating businesses, and those punches will count toward entries into a prize drawing. Ten punches will equal two entries, 14 punches is three entries, and visiting all 18 locations will yield five entries into the drawing to win a gift certificate to one of the participating restaurants. 

You can also post an image to social media and tag the Lead and Deadwood chambers of commerce for one entry into the drawing. Punch cards must be turned into the Deadwood Welcome Center by May 28, 2025, to be entered into the drawing.

Visit https://www.deadwood.com/events/ for more information. The burger from our very own Horseshoe Restaurant will be featured in March. Stay tuned on our blog or Facebook page for more details.

Snocross

The annual Deadwood Snocross Showdown is Jan. 24-25, 2025, as part of the ISOC Amsoil Championship Snocross Series visits the Black Hills. More than 200 of the top professional Snocross racers will showcase their high-octane snowmobile racing at the Days of ‘76 Event Center.

For a full schedule of events, visit the Deadwood Chamber website. Tickets are $10 to $42 for day passes; two-day passes are also available for $17 to $149. Buy tickets here. 

K9 Keg Pull

All dogs are invited to compete in the K9 Keg Pull winter race on Jan. 25, 2025, on Main Street in Deadwood, by Outlaw Square. Dogs will be assigned a division based on their weight. Competitors will wear a harness attached to an appropriately sized keg to pull past the finish line. The fastest dogs in each class win.

Registration is $15 per dog, with the event proceeds benefiting Twin City Animal and Deadwood Revitalization.

Registration is on-site the day from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. of the event. Races begin at 1 p.m.

Owners must provide a harness for their dog to participate in the race.